New York Times editorial board endorses Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar for Democratic nomination

The New York Times editorial board on Sunday endorsed Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, a potentially meaningful boost for the two female senators left in the race with less than a month before the Iowa caucuses.

“Ms. Klobuchar and Ms. Warren right now are the Democrats best equipped to lead that debate,” the editorial board wrote. “May the best woman win.”

The Times said it picked Warren of Massachusetts and Klobuchar of Minnesota over other candidates in the still-crowded primary field because “in this perilous moment, both the radical and the realist models warrant serious consideration. For this reason, we are breaking with convention and putting our support behind, not one, but two candidates.”

Announcing the endorsement Sunday, the board said, “Senator Warren is a gifted storyteller and a brilliant architect of regulation, where we would push back on some specific policy proposals, we are struck by how effectively her message has matched the moment.”

As for Klobuchar, the board said, “Senator Klobuchar has a lengthy resume in the Senate, and bipartisan credentials that make her an invaluable dealmaker, she’s shown she can unite the party, and perhaps the nation.”

The editorial board met with nine of the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination in December. Three other candidates, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Michael Bloomberg and Julián Castro, were invited, the board said, but declined the invitation. California Sen. Kamala Harris dropped out of the presidential race ahead of her endorsement interview. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was among those nine who met with the board in December, but he has since ended his campaign.

Reacting to the endorsement Sunday night, Klobuchar tweeted it was “An honor!”

Warren tweeted just before midnight ET, nodding to both of the candidates’ electoral record.

“So, I guess @AmyKlobuchar and I are now both undefeated in elections and undefeated in New York Times endorsements!” she wrote.

Ahead of the endorsements, Warren has been the only woman polling in double digits nationally. A recent CNN/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll showed Warren in a four-way race with Sen. Bernie Sanders, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Vice President Joe Biden.

In that survey, Sanders and Warren performed nearly equally well as the top choice among female likely Democratic caucusgoers, while Sanders and Buttigieg were the top choice among men.

Klobuchar trailed Biden with 6% support.

In an unusual twist this year, the board’s pick was revealed on Sunday’s episode of “The Weekly,” which airs on FX. The episode highlighted the board’s process, which is usually done behind closed doors. Viewers were shown small portions of those interviews and the post-interview discussions by the editorial board of that particular candidate.

The paper has been endorsing presidential candidates since 1860. In 2016, the board backed Hillary Clinton.

This story has been updated with additional developments.